The {Short} History of Coupons Part II: The Great Depression & Beyond

Learning To Make Do

During the 1930’s-1940’s when food, clothing and money were in short supply, Americans turned the practice of frugality into an art form. With common catch phrases like, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or go without!” punctuating the air, wives and mothers learned to use, save and reuse e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g like never before. For example:

Loose threads and pieces of string – Kept and used to mend holes in socks and other articles of clothing.

Shoes– On average, children could expect to receive one new pair of shoes per year. If their shoes were too small by summer, parents would simply cut open the tops of the shoes so the child’s toes would stick out. {Hmm. I wonder if this is where open-toed sandals got their start?}. Instead of going to the cobbler, shoes were resoled at home to save money.

Stretching meals and using left-overs – By adding a different ingredient each night and a little extra water, mothers could feed their families on a single pot of beans or vegetable soup for a week.

Cheaper “meat” – Folks learned to enjoy more “exotic” forms of protein such as rodents, chicken gizzards and chicken feet.

Gardens – Thousands of families ate fresh produce from their own gardens. The homegrown produce was also canned to last throughout the winter months. Which brings us to…

And of course, coupons were a sheer necessity by this point! They were no longer considered “optional”.

Coupons Come Into Their Own

In the late 1930’s, supermarkets began popping up in major cities all across the country. While these stores boasted a wider variety of food and goods, they failed to really grab the public’s attention. This was due to budget-breaking gas prices {10-15¢ a gallon… *cough*} and hometown buyer loyalty. Therefore, the majority of grocery shopping was done closer to home at small, family-owned markets.

However, Albertsons err, I mean these corporate bigwigs weren’t about to go down without a fight. They knew that in order to stay in business, they would have to go where no store had gone before.

So in 1940, the “in-store coupon” made its grand debut, effectively leveling the playing field between local and chain-store grocers everywhere. Housewives eagerly embraced their new found purchasing power and learned to shop with mad skill. 😉

{And there was peace and tranquility in the land…for awhile.}

But as “coupon love” continued to grow over the next 17 years, manufacturers found themselves struggling to keep up with the demands for reimbursement. In fact, it wasn’t until grocery stores threatened to stop accepting coupons altogether {and some of those threats were carried out!}, that a systematic approach to coupon redemption was put into place. In 1957, the Nielsen Coupon Clearing House opened its doors, becoming the first ever coupon redemption center in the US. {And a collective sigh of relief was heard across the land. Whew!}

Everybody Loves Coupons

By 1965, nearly 50% of all Americans were using coupons. Fast forward to 1990, when the Internet changed the face of coupons forever by providing access to coupon codes and printables. Finally in 2008, retailers began delivering coupon codes through cell phones.

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Hey this information was great! It seems you are some sort of coupon expert and if so, I would love to speak with you a little more. I am currently doing my Senior Honors Thesis on couponing and used this to get some information.